Celeste De Blasis (1946–2001)
Author of Wild Swan
About the Author
Image credit: Photo by EmilyG04
Series
Works by Celeste De Blasis
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Blasis, Celeste N. De
- Other names
- DeBlasis, Celeste
- Birthdate
- 1946-05-08
- Date of death
- 2001-04-13
- Gender
- female
- Education
- Wellesley College
Oregon State University
Pomona College (graduated 1968) - Occupations
- poet
historical novelist
autobiographer - Awards and honors
- Southern Division National League of Pen Women Award for Letters (poetry, 1969)
- Relationships
- Campbell, Litta Belle Hibben (Oma)
- Short biography
- Celeste De Blasis was born in Santa Monica, California and grew up at the Kemper Campbell Ranch in Victorville, located in the high Mojave Desert. She attended Wellesley College, transferred to Oregon State University, and eventually graduated from Pomona College. She contributed poems to a number of poetry magazines and in 1969 received the Southern Division National League of PEN Women Award for Letters for her poetry. She published her first novel, The Night Child, in 1975. It was followed by Suffer a Sea Change (1976), The Proud Breed (1978), The Tiger's Woman (1981), and her "Wild Swan" trilogy of novels published from 1984 to 1989. She also wrote an autobiography, Graveyard Peaches (1991). She died from complications of lupus erythematosus in 2001.
Celeste De Blasis is overleden aan de complicaties van Lupus erythematodes. LE is een auto-immuunbindweefselziekte - Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Santa Monica, California, USA
- Places of residence
- Kemper Campbell Ranch, Victorville, California, USA
- Burial location
- California, USA ( Her ashes were spread along her favorite trail at the Kemper Campbell Ranch)
- Associated Place (for map)
- California, USA
Members
Reviews
A richly detailed sequel to Wild Swan, which covers the lives of the family during the mid 19th century, taking them through the end of the Civil War. Like its predecessor, it is long enough to be a leisurely exploration of both characters and themes, a refreshing change from the often hectic pace of today's novels. Again it is dominated by Alexandria, now a matriarch of a large family and manager of a successful farm and racing stable.
But while the themes of family and finding soulmates, show more love and grief, and the cycle of llife, are still much a part of this book, it is inevitably dominated by the looming Civil War. I dreaded it and decided that when it came I would skim or skip over those parts dealing with the war, but when I got there I couldn't put it down. I got more of a sense of the reasons and chronology of the war, placed in a human context, from this book than I think I've gotten from any book I've ever read about it, fiction or non-fiction. (But the Civil War isn't my area of expertise.)
We need more of this type of historical fiction published today. show less
But while the themes of family and finding soulmates, show more love and grief, and the cycle of llife, are still much a part of this book, it is inevitably dominated by the looming Civil War. I dreaded it and decided that when it came I would skim or skip over those parts dealing with the war, but when I got there I couldn't put it down. I got more of a sense of the reasons and chronology of the war, placed in a human context, from this book than I think I've gotten from any book I've ever read about it, fiction or non-fiction. (But the Civil War isn't my area of expertise.)
We need more of this type of historical fiction published today. show less
A Wild Hope: A heartbreaking and epic historical novel (Wild Swan Trilogy Book 1) by Celeste DeBlasis
I'm happy to see the work of the late, beloved Celeste De Blasis finally available in digital format. I'm curious to know if this small publisher, Bookouture, will attract any new readers or if they'll rely on people like me, who still have our hard copies of this book from 1984, but are happy to pick up an e-version that we can read without our glasses (thank goodness for adjustable font size settings).
Frankly I doubt that anyone has the time or patience these days for a 700 page show more historical novel that, in addition to the main narrative, devotes pages and pages to describing horse breeding, the Missouri Compromise of 1819, and the election of John Quincy Adams over Andrew Jackson. But if you skim through all of that detail, you will get to the heart of the story, the indomitable Alexandria Thaine Carrington Falconer. De Blasis was ahead of her time in featuring strong-willed female characters who didn't take shit from their men, and who found a way to make their mark despite the restrictions of their era. She may still seem old-fashioned to today's readers; she's younger than both of the heroes in the book, and her sexual awakening comes about at the hands (and lips) of the more experienced men. But compared to many of the more traditionally passive or flighty female characters in 1980s historical fiction, she was a breath of fresh air and an inspiration to a young woman like me. De Blasis' singular heroines were the reason why I purchased all seven of her books in hardcover and why they are still on my keeper shelves more than 35 years later.
I'm not sure why the publisher had to change the name of the book from its original [b:Wild Swan|9764|Wild Swan (Wild Swan Trilogy, #1)|Celeste De Blasis|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1389514818l/9764._SY75_.jpg|12554], or why they had to add the ridiculous qualifying description. Yes this book is epic, spanning 18 years and two continents. I guess it's heartbreaking - characters die and are separated from their true loves, but by the end of the book Alex is happily married to the man you know she belongs with. There are two more books in the "Swan" series, [b:Swan's Chance|1137668|Swan's Chance (Wild Swan Trilogy, #2)|Celeste De Blasis|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1389515126l/1137668._SY75_.jpg|2667587] and [b:A Season of Swans|325659|A Season of Swans (Wild Swan Trilogy, #3)|Celeste De Blasis|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1387741786l/325659._SY75_.jpg|316308] that focus on Alex's children and grandchildren through the Civil War and several decades beyond. I hope Bookouture publishes them as well because I'd love to add them to the digital shelves. I doubt that there is much of a new audience out there for this author's books, but I could be wrong. In the coming pandemic winter of 2020-21, maybe a long, dense, sweeping historical that takes weeks to read will be just what the doctor ordered. Either way, I'm thankful for the blast from the past.
ARC received from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. show less
Frankly I doubt that anyone has the time or patience these days for a 700 page show more historical novel that, in addition to the main narrative, devotes pages and pages to describing horse breeding, the Missouri Compromise of 1819, and the election of John Quincy Adams over Andrew Jackson. But if you skim through all of that detail, you will get to the heart of the story, the indomitable Alexandria Thaine Carrington Falconer. De Blasis was ahead of her time in featuring strong-willed female characters who didn't take shit from their men, and who found a way to make their mark despite the restrictions of their era. She may still seem old-fashioned to today's readers; she's younger than both of the heroes in the book, and her sexual awakening comes about at the hands (and lips) of the more experienced men. But compared to many of the more traditionally passive or flighty female characters in 1980s historical fiction, she was a breath of fresh air and an inspiration to a young woman like me. De Blasis' singular heroines were the reason why I purchased all seven of her books in hardcover and why they are still on my keeper shelves more than 35 years later.
I'm not sure why the publisher had to change the name of the book from its original [b:Wild Swan|9764|Wild Swan (Wild Swan Trilogy, #1)|Celeste De Blasis|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1389514818l/9764._SY75_.jpg|12554], or why they had to add the ridiculous qualifying description. Yes this book is epic, spanning 18 years and two continents. I guess it's heartbreaking - characters die and are separated from their true loves, but by the end of the book Alex is happily married to the man you know she belongs with. There are two more books in the "Swan" series, [b:Swan's Chance|1137668|Swan's Chance (Wild Swan Trilogy, #2)|Celeste De Blasis|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1389515126l/1137668._SY75_.jpg|2667587] and [b:A Season of Swans|325659|A Season of Swans (Wild Swan Trilogy, #3)|Celeste De Blasis|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1387741786l/325659._SY75_.jpg|316308] that focus on Alex's children and grandchildren through the Civil War and several decades beyond. I hope Bookouture publishes them as well because I'd love to add them to the digital shelves. I doubt that there is much of a new audience out there for this author's books, but I could be wrong. In the coming pandemic winter of 2020-21, maybe a long, dense, sweeping historical that takes weeks to read will be just what the doctor ordered. Either way, I'm thankful for the blast from the past.
ARC received from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. show less
A Wild Hope: A heartbreaking and epic historical novel (Wild Swan Trilogy Book 1) by Celeste DeBlasis
A Wild Hope by Celeste De Blasis is a 2020 Bookouture publication.
Well, they sure don’t write ‘em like this anymore… Sigh…
This sweeping saga was originally written back in the 1980s, back when epic historical tomes were commonplace. Sadly, many of these books have simply faded into obscurity along with the authors who wrote them.
Thankfully, some publishers have chosen to digitally format a select few of them- giving them new titles and covers and offering them to a whole new show more audience.
For those of us who were fans back in the day, this is also an opportunity to revisit some of our old favorite authors and some of their work again… and in a format that is a little easier on the eyes.
For anyone concerned about content- not every single historical romance novel written in the 1980s was a ‘bodice ripper’. Yes, this book is a romance and there are explicit sex scenes- more than I felt was necessary, and there are moral issues, like adultery, but it is also a story that would appeal to historical fiction fans. For it’s time the novel incorporated issues into the story, like race, and feminism and features a strong female lead character, which should appeal to the modern reader.
I really miss these sweeping sagas. There’s nothing like being swept away into another time and place and following the characters through all the tragedies and triumphs in their lives. I also love that the story will continue in the next book and will once again feature characters from this novel and lead the reader into future generations. That’s something we don’t get much of these days in historical fiction or romance and kind of miss that too.
This is a long book- and because our attention spans are shorter these days- I did get a bit impatient a time or two when I felt the pacing lagged and there didn’t seem to be much going on- but at the same time, I enjoyed the long span of time the novel covered and all the various locations, and layers of emotions involved.
Overall, I loved getting lost in this novel and it was so nice to read a book by Celeste De Blasis again, after all these years. Looking forward to book two in the trilogy!!
5 stars show less
Well, they sure don’t write ‘em like this anymore… Sigh…
This sweeping saga was originally written back in the 1980s, back when epic historical tomes were commonplace. Sadly, many of these books have simply faded into obscurity along with the authors who wrote them.
Thankfully, some publishers have chosen to digitally format a select few of them- giving them new titles and covers and offering them to a whole new show more audience.
For those of us who were fans back in the day, this is also an opportunity to revisit some of our old favorite authors and some of their work again… and in a format that is a little easier on the eyes.
For anyone concerned about content- not every single historical romance novel written in the 1980s was a ‘bodice ripper’. Yes, this book is a romance and there are explicit sex scenes- more than I felt was necessary, and there are moral issues, like adultery, but it is also a story that would appeal to historical fiction fans. For it’s time the novel incorporated issues into the story, like race, and feminism and features a strong female lead character, which should appeal to the modern reader.
I really miss these sweeping sagas. There’s nothing like being swept away into another time and place and following the characters through all the tragedies and triumphs in their lives. I also love that the story will continue in the next book and will once again feature characters from this novel and lead the reader into future generations. That’s something we don’t get much of these days in historical fiction or romance and kind of miss that too.
This is a long book- and because our attention spans are shorter these days- I did get a bit impatient a time or two when I felt the pacing lagged and there didn’t seem to be much going on- but at the same time, I enjoyed the long span of time the novel covered and all the various locations, and layers of emotions involved.
Overall, I loved getting lost in this novel and it was so nice to read a book by Celeste De Blasis again, after all these years. Looking forward to book two in the trilogy!!
5 stars show less
The Tiger's Woman starts in late 1869 San Francisco as Mary Smith is on the run from her past. In disguise she takes work as a dance hall girl and attracts the attention of business man/entrepreneur Jason Drake (nicknamed the Tiger for his ruthless reputation with women, business and gambling), but she runs from him to Seattle, Washington Territory (what fun, my home town!) where Jason eventually finds her. Still terrified that the man from her past will find her she accepts Jason's offer of show more protection and goes to live with him on his island in the San Juan's, where Jason lives with his mother, son and quite a group of misfits who have also come to the island for reasons of their own. Jason was widowed when his wife died in childbirth and his son Jamie bears the scars of Jason's disinterest and has also grown up with the hatred bred into him by his grandmother. Mary's gentle but strong willed nature soon bridges the gap between father and son and the three strive to build a new life together. However, the abuse Mary suffered at the hands of the man from her past always threatens to sever the relationship, especially as Mary's fears become real and he begins to manipulate Jason's investments in an attempt to destroy him and return to take Mary away.
There's actually a whole lot more to it than that but to give away much more of Mary's past would blow the plot right out of the water and I'm not into spoilers. Suffice it to say that while not the fastest paced book, it was highly enjoyable and I very much enjoyed how both Jason and Mary were able to heal the wounds of their respective pasts and move forward into a new and stronger relationship. De Blasis also deals with the sensitive issue of a woman abused from an early age and how it affect's one's life and relationships with others (and not just men) and how she can heal and overcome that past for a healthier future.
I also very much enjoyed the visits to old San Francisco, Seattle, Washington Territory, a logging operation or two, and the San Juan Islands. The author clearly did some research and even this Seattle native didn't catch any Sleepless in Seattle like gaffes that distracted from the story. Lots of name dropping of our pioneer fathers - Asa Meeker, Pike, Boren and even one I never knew outside of a nightclub in Pioneer Square, Doc Maynard! If you're looking for a fast paced racy read, this probably isn't for you but if you want to sit back and enjoy a well crafted tale and don't mind a chapter or two (or three) of detailed descriptions of day to day life in the 1870's than this is worth checking out. Note, while I wouldn't quite call this a "bodice ripper" Mary and Jason did enjoy a healthy physical relationship and I wouldn't recommend it for a younger reader. show less
There's actually a whole lot more to it than that but to give away much more of Mary's past would blow the plot right out of the water and I'm not into spoilers. Suffice it to say that while not the fastest paced book, it was highly enjoyable and I very much enjoyed how both Jason and Mary were able to heal the wounds of their respective pasts and move forward into a new and stronger relationship. De Blasis also deals with the sensitive issue of a woman abused from an early age and how it affect's one's life and relationships with others (and not just men) and how she can heal and overcome that past for a healthier future.
I also very much enjoyed the visits to old San Francisco, Seattle, Washington Territory, a logging operation or two, and the San Juan Islands. The author clearly did some research and even this Seattle native didn't catch any Sleepless in Seattle like gaffes that distracted from the story. Lots of name dropping of our pioneer fathers - Asa Meeker, Pike, Boren and even one I never knew outside of a nightclub in Pioneer Square, Doc Maynard! If you're looking for a fast paced racy read, this probably isn't for you but if you want to sit back and enjoy a well crafted tale and don't mind a chapter or two (or three) of detailed descriptions of day to day life in the 1870's than this is worth checking out. Note, while I wouldn't quite call this a "bodice ripper" Mary and Jason did enjoy a healthy physical relationship and I wouldn't recommend it for a younger reader. show less
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Statistics
- Works
- 13
- Members
- 976
- Popularity
- #26,388
- Rating
- 4.1
- Reviews
- 35
- ISBNs
- 67
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- 4
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